Steam-heated fuel intake for internal-combustion engines



Nov. 19, 1929.

J. H. GOULD 1,736,003

STEAM HEATED FUEL INTAKE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 5, 1927 Ill/Ill,

7 JOHN H. GOULD, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, Assmioamomeow mmiiaomnm; C0,, I

p "is Patented Nov. 19, 1929 on DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A conronerronor iaei v n" STEAM-HEATED FUEL IN AKEFort rixirnnivAn-coivinnsrronE GINES- Application filed January 3, 1927. serial in. 158,476."

This invention relates to means which during the operation, of a vehicle or other internal combustion engine will supply steam about the fuel intake element of the engine so as to heat the incoming fuel mixture for the purpose of thoroughly vaporizing the liquid fuel and thus insure better engine op eration, and more particularlywhen the mo tor is warming up at the time of starting.

In my copending application, filed December 30, 1926,.Serial No. 158,114, I have shown and described .and claimed steam generator heated by the exhaust gases ofthe engine and connected with a heate'r assemblyassociated withthe body of the vehicle for car warming purposes. objects of the invention of this present ap- It is OIIQOIE the plication'to utilize the steam generated in such a generator to also heat the fuel intake element, such as either the fuel intake manifold or the carbureter or, both, for the purposeof obtaining a more efficient combustible mixture. i

A further object of my invention is to jacket both the intake manifold and the carbureter so as to receive the steam from the generator for heating these parts and maintaining them at a substantially constant surrounding temperature. p 1

,Other and further objects .of myinvention will appear from the following speci fication taken in connection with'the accompanying drawings, in-which- Figs. 1 and 1 are views showing .inventioii'as applied to the manifoldand carbureter of an internal combustion engine;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through thevalve fixture associated with the means for sup-' plying water from the cooling system engine to the steam generator;

of the Fig. dis a sectional view through the event- :for the connected jackets of the manifold and carbureter respectively, and Fig. 4: is an enlarged vertical: sectional view taken on line44 of Fig. 1. 7

being connected with the water jacket 3 of the engine bysuitableconduits 4,4 as cus-' tomary; inassemblies of this general kind. The engine has" an exhaust manifold 5-, to which is connectedan exhaust pipelj6, the latter leading back under the floor 7 of the vehicle and terminating in a mufiier, 8, as usual in motor vehicle design.

Associated with the exhaust pipe dis a steam generator 9 containing a steam form. .ing chamber 10 to be heatedby the exhaust gases of the engine passing through, said generator in contactwiththe walls of said chamher, as in my copending application as aforesaid. Thechamber, 10; is supplied --with water from the cooling. system of the enginethroughsa pipe orv conduit 11 connected at ,oiieiendwith vthe liquid inlet endof the chain The valve fitting 12'is shownin section in Fig.2, As shown, the plug 15 has-a passage" 7 16, which when in the position shown" in full lines ,in said figure opens the water'jac'ket. to the trap 14 iand supplies the samegwith water, the latter rising inthe pipe; 17 extending above the trap. When the plug 15 is turned-toplacethe passage 16 in commui'iication with the pipejll the trap 1a. is openedlto'pipe 11 for supplying'the cham ber 10 withwaterfor steam producing'purposes, all as in mysaid copending applica- -m .9 j Setin the floor/(10f the car is a heater asvsembly 18 containing conduitstowhichsteam is supplied from chamber lQthroughLa, con-W nectingpipe 19. Thisihe at'er isdescr ibed and illustrated iiidetail in said lcopending.

application.

. :As shown in F-i-gi' the lhas agjacketed intake manifold; 20 and a acketed' car- 'bureter The jackets of these elements are connected foncommunication any suit- 3,

p for the purpose in Fig. .1. These communii mally the valve 26is open.

able way, a short pipe section 22 being shown cating jackets have a common vent pipe 23 preferably connected to the jacket of the manifold. This pipe is above the manifold and contains a chamber 24L having a vent .7

opening 25 to the atmosphere; This" opening is controlled'by a thermally operated valve 26 actuated by a thermal bar 27 secured inside of the chamber 24 aserew 28 or other means, as indicated in Fig. 3. Nor- The acket of the carbureter 2 1 is connected bya pipe 29 with the steam producing chamber 10 above the Water inlet connection thereof. Steam produced'in-the chamber 10 during theoperation of the engine 1 is supplied i both to the heater 1 8 and to the jackets of the intake manifold and carbureter 20, 21, re-

spectively. This-Will cause the manifold and 'carbureter to be heatedto' a temperature far 'above that'of the incoming gas and air supply and thus raise the temperature of the latter to produce a more efficient fuel mixture by more thoroughly vaporizing the liquid fuel. Thisis especially advantageous when the mo tor is warming up, when onstarting.-

Moreover, thisi produc'es a uniform temperature surrounding the fuel intake parts and makes" for better motor performancewvith economyoffuel'coiisumptioni The air'in the jackets of the manifold and carbureter, respectively, on rising of the steam from thegenerator, as when starting, will be i l I forced out of thevento'pening-25 and escape to the atmosphere; As soon asstearn reaches the valve 26, its'ihigh'temperature will act on the bar 27 to close'thevalve26 and-"thus prevent the escape of steam. The 'carbur'eter -21 has an air intake port, indicated generally at 30, and aliqui'd fuel supply pipe 31.

Instead'of both theintake manifold-20 and V the carbureter 21 being jacketed so as to be j'he'ated by steam, only one-of thesedevices may beijacketed, 'The pipe 29 opens into the lower end ofthe jacket of the carbureterand is generally below the same so that any coni densate inf's'aid pipe 01 j into the chamber 10.

ackets maydrain back The pipe 17 leading from the 'a-a lzi coni'iects with acondenser 32, which extends "above the liqu-idlevel in thecoolingsys'tem, "and the condenser has val've controlled vent "chamber 25? at its upper end, in the same manner as in my said copending application.

The details" of structure' 'shown and de-' scribed maybe variouslychanged and modi- "fied Without depart-ing from I the. spirit and scope of my invention.

claim a's-iny invention} a 1 1. Thegcomblnation with an internal combutsion engine having'a liquid cooling 'sys merriersaid'engine, a steam supply ,'a conduitcom'iecting the "steam -supply with the jacket ofsaid element for -supplyir-1g'* steam close the vent.

to the jacket for heating said element, an

of said manifold with the steam supply for supplying steam to the'j acket for heating said manifold, an atmosphericvent for said jacket, a'valve for said vent, and thermal means responsive to the temperature of the steam reaching the vent to actuate the valve to 3. The combination with an internal combustion engine-having a liquid cooling system, of a jacketed fuel intake element for the'engine, a steam generator supplied with liquids from the cooling system and heated by the exhaust gases furnished by the engine, a conduit connecting the j acketflof said element with the generator. for supplying i steam to the jacket for heating said element,

an atmospheric vent for the 'jacket, a valve W for said vent, and thermal imeansresponsive to the temperature of the steam'reaching the vent to actuate the valve to closethe vent;

4. The combination Withan internal com-i, bastion en ine havingnaliquid cooling system,=of a jacketed fuel intake element for the engine, a steam generator heated by theeX- v haust gases ofthe engine,'a passage connecting the generator with the cooling system for; supplying liquids to the generator, a trap-and p a valve means included in said passage for controlling the amounts of liquids supplied to thegenerator from the cooling system, a

conduit connecting the jacket of said element with the generator for supplyingsteam to the jacket for heating saidelemen't, an at'mospheric vent for said jacket, a valve for-said vent, and=thermal means responsive to the temperature of the steam reaching saidf'vent' foractuating the valve to close the vent,"

5; The combination with an'internallrcoml v bustion engine having a liquid .coo'lingsys tem, of a. jacketed: fuellint'ake element for "the engine, a steam generator supplied with liquids from the cooling system and heated for heating said element and: for the return 'of condensate to the generator, an atmospheric a vent for saidjacket, avalve forsaid'vent,

and thermal means responsive tothetemperamm of the steam reaching said went for 'ac-, tuating the valve to close the vent. .l' I

; In testimony whereof I aflix my signature this 28th'day0f December, 1926. I

JOHN eon-Ln;

by theeXhaust-gases furnished by 'the engine, a steam connection betweenthe lower portion of the jacket of said element and the generator forsupplying steam to the jacket 

